Chapter Twenty-Four #2
Shaking my head to clear it, I tore my eyes away from Zero’s bunk. Exhaustion weighed my bones down, making them feel impossibly heavy. I needed to hurry up and get my stuff done, so I could crawl into bed.
Bobbitt hadn’t mentioned anything about a shower curfew, so I tiptoed to my cabinet and grabbed my backpack. Someone—probably Bobbitt—had stuck even more clothes on one of the shelves. Neatly folded stacks of leggings and shirts were waiting for me, and I smiled appreciatively.
I grabbed an outfit, praying it fit, and quietly made my way toward the back of the bus where the bathroom was.
The door clicked closed softly behind me, and I shucked off my vibrant circus attire.
Various scents from the nightclub clung to the clothes, including a bit of strawberry margarita I’d spilled on the pants.
I quickly scrubbed myself in the shower and dressed in a pair of navy leggings and a T-shirt that read ‘The Hole is My Goal’ with a putter and a golf ball beneath it. With a snicker, I rummaged through my backpack, pulling out everything until I got to the suppressants at the bottom.
My chest clenched, even though there was no one around to see them. With troupe members so close, and me having the illegal drugs out in the open, it kicked my anxiety into overdrive.
I’ll be extra quick.
There were several white boxes, a little worse for wear from being tossed around, lined neatly on the bottom of the bag.
Inside were hundreds of encapsulated white pills.
I had thought about popping them all out and putting them in a giant unlabeled pill bottle—at least that way, they wouldn’t have the drug information printed on them—but I worried about them losing their potency once they were opened.
I wasn’t a chemist or a pharmacy technician, and it wasn’t like I could ask anyone without ratting myself out. I also couldn’t risk them not working anymore, not when so much was at stake.
My entire life hinged on the suppressants doing their job.
If the opportunity ever arose, and I found myself on the end of another back-alley deal, I could find out. But my mother had been extra careful about keeping information hidden from me. I had no idea where she even got them, just that she did.
Popping out one of the pills, I tossed it in my mouth and swallowed.
After taking them once a day for the last three years, it was muscle memory at this point.
I opened the box, popped the pill, and tucked everything perfectly back into the bag.
Once the suppressants were buried again, I zipped up the backpack.
When they were out of sight, I could breathe a little easier.
After making sure the bathroom was tidy, the way I found it, I grabbed the door handle and pulled open the door, nearly running straight into someone waiting on the other side.
“I thought you ran away, little pet.” The whisper had chills crawling up my spine.
I looked up to find a disgruntled looking Zero staring back at me.
Caramel popcorn slammed into me, stuffing down my throat and filling my lungs.
His face was free of paint, his white hair a disheveled mess, and his golden eyes were locked on me.
He was in a T-shirt and basketball shorts, looking like a normal dude.
If I didn’t know exactly how insane he was, I would have almost thought he looked approachable.
“Sorry to disappoint,” I hissed. “You’re in my way.”
He chuckled once and reached out to caress my chin. I jerked away from his touch despite the delicious warmth that sank through me at the feel of his skin on mine.
I wasn’t going to let this sadistic fuck touch me, no matter how badly my instincts begged me to cave.
“So feisty.” He ran his tongue over his teeth. “I wonder if you’d still be that bratty if you were full of something other than attitude.”
My jaw dropped, but I snapped it closed a second later.
Was he really insinuating putting his dick in me?
My pussy throbbed at the thought, and I reflexively clenched my thighs together. There was no way I was turned on right now, unless it was left over from dancing with Daze in the club.
It definitely wasn’t because of this asshole…
“Too bad, you’ll never know.” I clicked my tongue. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m tired and ready for bed.”
The mischievous glint in his eye made me less confident, waffling between wanting to run away and wanting to bury my face in his shirt, but I wouldn’t fold.
I’d decided.
I fucking hated him.
With a sinister grin, he stepped aside, and I hurried past, not bothering to look his way again as I stuffed my belongings into my cabinet. I crawled into bed and snapped the privacy curtain closed, my heart hammering in my chest.
His soft footsteps sounded impossibly loud as he approached, and I almost wondered if he would rip the curtain open again.
What would I do if he crawled into bed with me?
If he covered my mouth to keep me quiet and slid his hands over my heated skin?—
I clamped my mouth shut to cut off a whine.
Nope. Not happening.
No matter how my body reacted at just the thought of the psychotic clown.
Finally, I heard Zero crawl back into his bed, and I exhaled a sigh of relief.
At least, for now, I didn’t have to worry about him.
I rolled toward the wall and closed my eyes, forcing thoughts of Zero out of my head and replacing them with memories of my evening with Daze. I thought about dinner at the pizza place and how we danced for hours at the club. The way he kissed me and held me and walked me back to the bus.
I smiled with my eyes closed, clinging to the images, but at the back of my mind the fucking clown lurked like a specter, threatening to ruin my happy thoughts.
Unconsciousness tugged at me as I wrestled with my warring thoughts, and after a while I slipped into even more restless dreams.